Disclaimer: This is not REALLY a $20 review of Leroy’s as I decided that I needed a little more $ to review.

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When you first walk into Leroy’s, you are greeted by the plates of food being handed to servers by the kitchen. This is your first chance to take a look at what to get! If you take a moment to look at the food while you’re being seated, you’ll notice the vivid colors and fresh ingredients decorating each plate.

“Our schtick is our food,” said Jeff Bloom, General Manager. On the bottom left of the menu, you’ll see their commitment to serving food that is farm fresh’ and organic and local’. All their beers and wines are selected to pare with their food, enhancing the dining experience. Their lunch and dinner menus differ slightly as does their beers and wines to continually meet the needs of the diners.

Bar: Leroy’s is not only a sit down restaurant, but also a lounge and bar. The bar itself has 16 beers on tap, all local crafts with some Belgian brews as well. The beers are sourced from local breweries as are the wines sourced from local and regional wineries with an organic flare.

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In this review: Belgian Beer Flight ($6), a Local Beet Salad ($11), and the Jidori Chicken Ciabatta ($14).

The Belgian beer flight gives you a chance to have a couple of light and hoppy beers and end with a darker ale which was refreshing before the salad arrived. Depending on what Leroy’s has on tap, the beers themselves could change but the mini mugs are a cool touch.

My Belgian Beer Flight…it was yummy.

The Local Beet Salad was really a fantastic mix of textures. Light greens, with rich yellow and red beets, along with a soft cheese and a brittle that adds caramel to your palette. Overall it is a fresh and sweet tasting salad that leaves the brittle in your teeth for a delayed sweetness. Warning! Do not try to cut the brittle with your knife or else you’ll be sharing it with other diners.

The Local Beet Salad is a medley of textures.

The Jidori Chicken Ciabatta came with truffle fries. The fries were skinny and well salted accompanied by a tasty garlic aioli and pomegranate ketchup. The chicken was blackened as were the buns to give a charcoal taste but nicely balanced with a sweet avocado and fig jam. There was a healthy ratio of chicken to everything else in the ciabatta and overall was a filling, crunchy sandwich.

The Jidori Chicken Ciabatta accompanied by truffle fries.

Even though I spent $31, I could have spent $20-$25 to experience two of three of the items I’ve described. Either way, the food was EXCELLENT. I would go back and try other items there so long as I can control the bleeding wallet.

Service: The server we had was animated and extremely friendly. He struck a conversation with me immediately and talked me through our options for drinks and food very willingly. He was open to telling me what his favorite dishes were and that certainly helps first time diners. Throughout my meal, he checked in with me to refill water as well as to see if I needed anything more. I was impressed with him and hope that most servers share those traits.

Atmosphere/ambiance: Leroy’s is a bright restaurant with mood lighting to accent the interior of the room. There’s music playing but not so loud that you can’t have a conversation. It’s certainly a family friendly place and everyone tries to make sure you are comfortable. There’s a huge window that is open to allow for the cool ocean air to mix in on a hot day. Overall, Leroy’s boasts a relaxing and fun atmosphere with various spaces to inhabit: sit down tables, high bar tables, and bar.

Leroy’s at lunchtime.

Building materials: The restaurant is made with dark and light woods. The ceilings are high and leave the ducts exposed to give a contemporary loft type of ambiance. The giant window has a garage door hanging over it to give those seats the feeling of outdoor seating. Overall, the materials in the restaurant contribute to the experience, however, there’s nothing uber special to write home about.

Jeff Bloom, the General Manager, commented that they are dedicated to meeting the needs of the local Coronadans and not just the seasonal tourists that visit the island. He spent time talking to locals and finding out what kinds of things people like to eat and do in the evenings here in Coronado. This is a tell tale sign that Jeff, his staff, AND the dining experience will continually change to make sure diners have a great experience at Leroy’s. He spent a lot of time hand picking and training his waitstaff to enable them to use their personalities in the job. When asked about outdoor seating, Jeff mentioned that there are some issues with putting seats on Route 75 (sidewalk is considered part of the route) but that they’re working on it. In the meantime, his priority is the high quality food that people come BACK to Leroy’s for.

I give it two thumbs up and would happily spend many happy hours and meals there.

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